Monday Fables #6: Bi Ann (Be There)

Bi Ann - Kila

Lyrics:	English Translation:
Bí ann, bí liom	Be there, be with me
Bí gasta, bí cróga	Be quick, be brave
Bí cliste, bí cinnte	Be clever, be sure
Bí casta, bí glic	Be tricky, be sharp
Bí grámhar, gealgáireach	Be loving, light-hearted
Bí socair laistigh	Be steady inside
Bí doimhin ach bí éadrom	And be deep but be light
Gan teannas ar bith	With no tension inside
I do chorp, i do chroí	In your body, in your heart
I do cheann, ins a tslí	In your head, __
Ina chuireann tú tú fhéin i láthair	In the way which you present yourself
I pé chomhluadar ina bhfuil tú	In whatever company you happen to be
Bí ann liom	Be there for me
Bí láidir il-dána	Be strong and be able
Nuair a chasann an domhan	When the world takes a turn
Bí ann dom	Be there with me
Agus buailfimid le chéile	And we will meet together
Nuair a thagann an t-am	When the right time comes

“I am so hammered.” She sighed as she flopped down on the mattress, bouncing a little before sinking into the soft, green blankets.

“Isn’t it fantastic?” He fell down beside her, landing on his back and disturbing the mattress.

“It’s the most fun I’ve had in a while.” He hummed in agreement and they lay there in comfortable silence for a long moment before she suddenly turned onto her elbow, startling her half asleep best friend. “You know what our problem is? We need to get laid more.”

He mirrored her position “well I shouldn’t think that’d be a problem for you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

His eyes widened “no I-I-I don’t mean…I wasn’t suggesting that…” he sighed, collapsing into his shoulder “I just mean look at you; you’re a smart, successful, incredibly beautiful woman. It can’t be that hard for you to attract men.”

She caught herself blushing and ducked her head so he wouldn’t notice “well what about you?”

“What about me?” She reached over to the nightstand, stretching her tight white blouse further than it was meant to, returning with a glass bowl of M&Ms before she could notice him looking at her.

“You’re handsome, intelligent and successful, where’s you gaggle of women fawning over you?”

“I left them at home.” He stole a blue one to pop in his mouth.

“I’m serious.” She nudged his knee with hers. “Why don’t you date more often?”

“Because I’m tired of the dating scene, you know? It’s like this zoo and everyone’s trying to get to the front so they can be noticed but no one really notices me.”

“Well I find that hard to believe.” She popped a red one.

“It’s true.” He insisted, sucking on a green one “it’s like when I’m with a woman I can’t think straight and I come out sounding like an idiot.”

“Well you’re fine with me.” A yellow one.

“Yeah but that’s different; you’re different.”

“Why am I different?” She settled into the mattress more.

“Well because…you’re…you’re my best friend. I don’t really think of you like that.”

She peered up at him over the rim of her invisible glasses. “You’ve never thought of me in a sexual way?”

“Well of course I’ve thought of you in a sexual way.”

“Good, I was getting worried there for a second.” She tossed him a blue one as a reward.

He caught it in his mouth and chewed happily “I just need to find somebody who doesn’t intimidate me, you know? Someone I’m comfortable talking to.”

“I need to find someone who isn’t intimidated by me. I feel like all the guys I’ve dated lately have been turned off by the fact that I make more money than them.”

“Which is so stupid.”

“I know.” Exasperated, she flopped back onto her side, resting her head in the crook of her arm “it’s frustrating.”

He stared at her, trying to find a word to describe her; when he couldn’t he passed it off as being too drunk to concentrate. “Well maybe…” where were the words? “maybe we’re just dating the wrong people.”

“You think?” She scoffed, shoveling a handful of the candies into her mouth. “It’s not that easy to find the right people.”

“Well maybe we should make a list.” She brightened at the brilliant idea that they both knew was a little silly.

“Yeah, write out exactly what we need to be looking for in a relationship so we can narrow it down.” She suddenly hopped off the bed, falling to one knee before standing and wobbling across the room like she hadn’t just fallen off the bed. She paused, two coiled notebooks in her hand, retrieved from her backpack of work supplies “I have a better idea.” She giggled, she jumped back on the bed, making him fly a foot in the air as he sat up and the rest of the candies fall on to the bed, a scattered rainbow that went unnoticed “we should write down a list for each other.” She pointed at him as though that would help the words come easier “yeah. Like what you think I should have in a relationship and what I think you should have in a relationship.” She poked his chest resolutely “yeah.”

“Alright then,” he laughed, taking a notebook from her grasp and moving just out of arms’ reach.

She bounced on the bed as she crossed her legs, suddenly very excited to write this list. He mirrored her position and they began to write. But every few minutes, they took turns glancing up at each other wistfully, wondering what it would be like in a relationship with the other – what they deserved to have in a relationship. One time she lingered too long and he caught her biting her lip and staring into his eyes but before they could make a connection, her eyes clouded over and she returned to her task.

“Done!” She announced with him and they smiled in surprise. “Okay give me the list, I want to see.” They exchanged notebooks and the moment his fingers touched the page, he paused, wide eyed at her description of her perfect mate. She, on the other hand, was completely confused “I said we have to change notebooks.”

“We did.”

“No…” she shook her head at him like it was the most obvious thing in the world “this is my notebook.”

“It’s my notebook.”

“But…” she looked up at him and he almost laughed at the complete innocence and confusion in her bright green eyes “we match?”

His breath flew out of his body at her words “yeah, we match.”

It took a moment for the truth in his words to set in and then a smile, bright and ecstatic graced her features “we match.”